Algeria opens up water sector to foreign investors

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The Algerian minister of water resources, Abdelmalek Sellal, discussed in parliament the new draft law for organizing the water sector, clarifying that it does not mean privatization of the water sector, but it will allow foreign players to manage water network according to a contract with the state and without having the authority to fix water prices. The July 6 edition of Al-Khabar newspaper quoted Sellal as saying that "Algeria is facing a real water crisis." He expected tenders for running water networks in large cities, like the capital and Wahran, to be issued at the beginning of 2006.

The minister also expressed his dissatisfaction with tax evasion, saying that 17% of the citizens do not pay their water bills, among them 5,300 families are in the capital alone.